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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26064697">Solve a Riddle (or make one)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyanocitta20/pseuds/Cyanocitta20'>Cyanocitta20</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>(You are My) Past, Present, and Future [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Harry Potter &amp; Tom Riddle Attend Hogwarts Together, Knights of Walpurgis, M/M, Oblivious Tom Riddle, Pre-Slash, Riddle at Hogwarts Era, Time Travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:00:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26064697</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyanocitta20/pseuds/Cyanocitta20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The new boy was an enigma, a mystery, a riddle. Things simply did not add up. But Tom was an expert at solving questions, and he had decided that this would be no different.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Tom reflects on his own thoughts regarding Evan Harrison, the new transfer student.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Tom Riddle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>(You are My) Past, Present, and Future [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889494</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>339</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Solve a Riddle (or make one)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tom sat back comfortably, settling into his chair in the Slytherin common room. He opened a book on the Dark Arts that he’d been planning on reading, but found himself simply staring at the pages, unable to focus on the words. Naturally, his thoughts wandered to the one thing- well, person, really- that had constantly been on his mind these past few months.</p>
<p>Evan Harrison. Or Harry, as he preferred to be called. The transfer student who had somehow managed to land himself in Slytherin, despite the fact that he didn’t seem the least bit cunning or ambitious. At first sight, Tom had thought he was a third, maybe fourth, year with how small and slight the boy was. But he had been introduced as a sixth year, the same age as Tom, which had been a cause of surprise for everyone. And that was only the beginning of Harrison’s oddities.</p>
<p>The fact that he had transferred to Hogwarts for sixth year was interesting. After all, why bother going to school for only two years? Or how about the bright, sunny personality(which was weird because he was, as already mentioned, a Slytherin, not a Hufflepuff)? <em>Although</em>, Tom thought, <em>that personality could be a ruse to hide something more</em>. In fact, Tom was sure he had seen occasional flashes of something <em>more</em> in Harrison’s eyes. Like there was a past, a pain, that he was striving to keep hidden.</p>
<p>Tom furrowed his eyebrows just a little at this revelation. If Harrison’s personality was truly a facade for the purpose of hiding something, then perhaps the boy was more Slytherin than Tom had originally thought. And this was annoying as well, because usually nothing was able to escape Tom’s notice.</p>
<p>But back to Harrison and his strange behavior.</p>
<p>Evan Harrison, despite his claims of being an orphaned half-blood raised by muggles, knew too much about magic for that to be true. He excelled in most of his classes, especially DADA, without really trying at all. Also, his reflexes were impossibly fast, almost like someone used to being attacked, and his spells were more powerful than Tom had ever seen.</p>
<p>With the exception of himself, of course.</p>
<p>And then there was Harry’s first reaction to Tom. He had hidden it quite well, but there had definitely been surprise, recognition, perhaps a little dislike. Odd that Harry seemed to know and dislike Tom when Tom didn’t recall ever seeing him. Come to think of it, Harry’s reaction had been more than just dislike. More like.. hate, actually. This, again, was intriguing. Until Harry, no one, barring Albus-bloody-Dumbledore, hated Tom. Feared him, perhaps, but not hate. Not only that, but Tom would never have forgotten someone as curious as Harry if he’d ever met him.</p>
<p>Overall, the new boy was an enigma, a mystery, a <em>riddle</em>. Things simply did not add up. But Tom was an expert at solving questions, and he had decided that this would be no different.</p>
<p>Therefore, at the beginning of the school year, he had chosen to approach Harry, expecting that getting close to the boy would help him understand. So Tom did his best to be ‘the helpful prefect’, putting on the polite and charming mask that everyone fell for.</p>
<p>Everyone except Harry, apparently. No matter what Tom tried, the boy would not respond as everyone else did, and that was infuriating. As a matter of fact, Harry only drew further and further away. Tom had eventually grown annoyed enough to leave him alone, even as he continued to watch from afar.</p>
<p>Then came Harry’s fight with the seventh year Gryffindors. Harrison somehow had friends in all four houses, even Gryffindor, which was quite a feat. However it seemed that some of the the seventh year Gryffindorks had been unhappy with students from their house being friends with a slimy snake. A few weeks ago, four of them had cornered Harry in the hallway, warning him to stay away from their house.</p>
<p>Tom had been walking to class when he came across them. Seeing Harry backed into a corner by four much larger Gryffindors, Tom had whipped out his wand and was ready with a hex on his tongue within seconds. As it turned out, Harry hadn’t needed any help.</p>
<p>Even now, Tom had no idea what had happened, for Harry simply refused to tell. But before Tom could offer any assistance, the four attackers were sprawled on the ground with their wands flying into Harry’s outstretched hands.</p>
<p>Tom had never seen anything like it.</p>
<p>It was beautiful.</p>
<p><em>Harry</em> was beautiful. And obviously powerful, too.</p>
<p>It was that moment that Tom decided he wanted. Wanted those glowing green eyes on only him, wanted the ease with which Harry cast spells, wanted the power that the boy held. Wanted everything that made up Evan Harrison.</p>
<p>Of course, this would be just until he was no longer interested, until he got bored with Harry. Then it would end, because that was what Tom Riddle did. He used, then threw away.</p>
<p>Anyway, that day was the beginning of a change in the relationship between himself and Harry. Since Tom had obviously been planning on helping him, Harry had approached Tom to thank him even if it hadn’t been necessary. And Tom had responded in kind, making sure Harry was never ambushed again.</p>
<p>It became a common scene, to see the two together. Sometimes working on assignments in the library with their heads close together. Other days just walking around the Hogwarts grounds with Harry talking animatedly while Tom simply listened to whatever was being said. Still other times, sitting quietly in the common room, mostly just enjoying the company of someone else.</p>
<p>Perhaps it was no surprise that recently, some of his followers from the Knights of Walpurgis had been expressing some concern over how close the he and Harry seemed. Stated that they were worried that Tom was becoming distracted from his visions and goals. As if they had any right to judge Tom’s behavior. Tom had only scoffed and ordered them to mind their own business. And yet... it was certainly true that Tom had never let anyone be as close to him as Harry.</p>
<p>Wasn’t it just the day before that Harry had shocked everyone by dropping himself unceremoniously into the very chair Tom was sitting in now? All Slytherins knew that this chair was for Tom, and Tom only. Therefore it was no surprise that everyone froze in shock when Harry apparently decided he belonged there. Even then, Tom had not felt the urge to curse him. Not at all. It was the same when Harry practically ordered Tom to help him with his homework, or accompany him somewhere. Or when Harry adressed him in that friendly, casual way which only he had the audacity to do. There were no thoughts of violence in those moments, only a sort of resigned acceptance.</p>
<p>Tom told himself it was only because he was in the process of coaxing Harry to his side. That he didn’t actually care what Harry did, and with whom. That he wasn’t protective, just possessive.And that this was simply a temporary obsession that would soon come to pass.</p>
<p>After all, feelings were overrated. Of course they were. And Tom Riddle did not have <em>feelings</em>. What an utterly ludicrous idea.</p>
<p>He was having a difficult time convincing himself. And since when had he started calling him Harry instead of Harrison?</p>
<p>As Tom debated with himself about riddles and feelings and what to do with Evan Harrison, the very focus of his attention clambered into the common room, breaking his chain of thought.</p>
<p>“Tom! I was looking for you, I have questions about our potions assignment. Will you help me?”</p>
<p>And Tom, shaking his head to clear it of his scattered thoughts, finally got up from his seat to follow Harry, completely unaware of the fact that he had a small smile on his face as he did so.</p>
<hr/>
<p>In a few years, Tom Riddle would sit with Evan Harrison- Harry Potter, now that he knew the truth- in his lap and think back to this moment as the day when he first started realizing that he felt something different for Harry.</p>
<p>He would laugh at himself for thinking that Harry was a <em>riddle</em> back then, because soon, very soon, his Harry would indeed become a true <em>Riddle</em>. Feeling rather satisfied at that idea, Tom would smile down at his boyfriend, thinking of a ring in his pocket, of second chances, and of a future forever changed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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